Posts

Is Burning Bush Invasive? It depends on where you are, but generally yes, burning bush is considered invasive. Some states, like New Hampshire, have actually prohibited using this shrub. It has become widespread along the East Coast and in much of the Midwest. Burning bush (Euonymus alatus) is also known as winged burning bush or winged euonymus for the tan, wing-like appendages that grow on young, green stems. The shrub can grow up to 20 feet (6 m....

Should I Prune my Cucumber Vine? The short answer is yes, it’s okay to prune cucumbers, but I guess that doesn’t really say much. Both cucumbers’ vegetative and reproductive growth needs to be balanced. Anyone who’s ever looked at a cucumber plant can see that it is often the vegetative growth that’s left to run amok. So cucumber vine pruning is a way to check that growth and stimulate reproduction, or fruiting....

Can You Compost Wine? You might wonder why anyone would waste wine by pouring it on a compost heap in the first place. But sometimes you purchase wine that doesn’t taste good, or you let it sit around so long it turns. That’s when you might think of composting it. Can you compost wine? You can, and there are a lot of theories about wine’s effect on compost. One is certain: as a liquid, wine in compost will stand in for required water....

Growing Japanese Iris Plants The timetable for when to plant Japanese irises may involve amending the soil with acidic, organic amendments prior to planting the rhizomes in early fall. Unlike many garden flowers, Japanese iris care does not involve planting in a well-draining soil. In fact, growing Japanese iris plants flourish in boggy areas, near ponds and water features or even potted and placed in these bodies of water. Water should be acidic....

Lavender Flowers Drooping Lavender flowers drooping is a very common problem, and it often comes down to water. Knowing how often to water lavender is usually all it takes to get it fighting fit. Lavender is a Mediterranean plant that prefers sandy, low quality soil that drains very quickly. If you’ve planted it in dense soil or are watering it daily, this might be the cause of your lavender flowers drooping....

Leaf problems in plants that are deficient in nutrients or trace minerals are common and may include stunted growth, drying, and discoloration. Nutritional deficiencies present differently in plants, and a proper diagnosis is critical in order to rectify the problem. One of the most commonly asked questions relates to having a plant with purple leaves or leaves turning reddish-purple in color. Why Are Plant Leaves Turning Purple? When you notice a plant with purple leaves rather than the normal green color, it is most likely due to a phosphorus deficiency....

Licorice Plant Information What is a licorice plant? Related to peas and beans, licorice (Glycyrrhiza glabra) is a flowering perennial that grows to about 5 feet (1.5 m.) tall. Its scientific name, Glycyrrhiza, comes from the Ancient Greek words glykys, meaning “sweet,” and rhiza, meaning “root.” Just like the name suggests, the part of the plant that contains that distinctive flavor is its extensive root system. Native to Eurasia, it has a long history of use from China to Ancient Egypt to Central Europe both as a sweetener (it is 50 times sweeter than sugar) and as a medicine (even today it is widely used in throat lozenges)....

Common Bok Choy Problems Bok choy is very attractive to bugs, and some of them can do serious damage. Here are the most prevalent bok choy pests: Cabbage maggots Flea beetles Tarnished plant bugs Cutworms Leafminers Aphids Seedcorn maggots Slugs Whiteflies Vegetable weevils A lot of these pests can be combatted with row covers and crop rotation. Another useful method is growing bok choy as a fall crop, when pests are past their natural growing season lifecycle....

Information About Using Naranjilla If you are fluent in Spanish, then you recognize that ‘naranjilla’ means little orange. This nomenclature is somewhat flawed, however, in that naranjilla is not related in any way to citrus. Instead, naranjilla (Solanum quitoense) is related to the eggplant and tomato; in fact, the fruit looks very similar to a tomatillo on the inside. The outside of the fruit is covered with sticky hairs. As the fruit ripens, it turns from a bright green to orange....

When Does Chayote Bloom? If this is your first time growing chayote, maybe it just hasn’t matured enough to flower. When does a chayote bloom? Chayote vines flower in late summer to early fall (August or September) and should be flooded with fruit by autumn (September or October). About Chayote Plant Flowers Chayote is a cucurbit and, like all cucurbits, produces both male and female blooms on the same plant. This is great because the vines are such prodigious producers that a single plant is enough for most families....

Buckeye Tree Facts Buckeye leaves are made up of five leaflets that are arranged like spread fingers on a hand. They are bright green when they emerge and darken as they age. The flowers, which are arranged in long panicles, bloom in spring. Green, leathery fruit replace the flowers in summer. Buckeyes are one of the first trees to leaf out in spring, and also the first to drop their foliage in fall....

About Bay Tree Winter Care Bay trees are also called bay laurel, sweet bay, or true laurel and most people associate them with the culinary herb used so often in soups and stews. Bay trees can grow quite large, but they can also be kept trimmed and shaped, making them good choices for yards and gardens or containers. If you do choose a bay for your yard, know that it grows very slowly....

How to Make a Pallet Garden The first step is to get your hands on some pallet collars. Your local hardware or home improvement store may be able to provide information, or you can always do an online search for pallet collars. Plan your DIY pallet garden in an area where the ground is flat. Keep in mind that most plants need at least a few hours of daily sunlight. Once you’ve determined the best location for your pallet collar garden, break up the soil with a spade or garden fork, then smooth it with a rake....

Parlor Palm Houseplants Growing an indoor parlor palm is very easy and gratifying. Parlor palm houseplants prefer low light and may actually suffer in direct sunlight, so there’s no need to place them in your brightest windows. They do like a little bit of light, and will do best by a window that receives some early morning or late afternoon light. Your indoor parlor palm will most likely survive completely away from windows if that’s what your space requires – it just won’t grow very fast....

About Stem Rust of Oat Crops While these crops are generally easy to grow in most climates across the United States, there are some issues that must be considered when planning grains. Diseases, such as oat stem rust, can greatly reduce potential harvests. Knowing how to treat oat stem rust will be key to a successful oat harvest. In the past, stem rust in oats has been a major problem for commercial growers, which resulted in a high loss of yields....

When to Prune Blackberry Bushes One of the most common questions about blackberries is, “When do you cut back blackberry bushes?” There are actually two different types of blackberry pruning you should be doing and each must be done at different times of the year. In the early spring, you will be tip pruning blackberry bushes. In late summer, you will be doing clean up blackberry pruning. Keep reading to learn how to trim blackberry bushes both of these ways....

How to Prune a Currant Bush Currant stems naturally grow from the ground and form a low growing bush. The question of how to prune a currant bush can be answered with just a few steps. Fruit production in the home requires that the gardener learn how to trim currant bushes. Pruning currant bushes is necessary to keep the form of the plant, remove any diseased material and, most of all, to keep the plant’s interior open....

If you have an unwanted photinia shrub, the best way to get rid of the wayward plant is by using patience and good old-fashioned elbow grease. Read on for tips on removing photinia. How to Get Rid of Photinia Shrubs Use these tips on photinia removal for the best results: Soften the soil by watering well the day before photinia removal. Use a pruning saw, sharp pruning shears, or another tool to cut the shrub down nearly to the ground....

Trees That Grow in Shade Few, if any, trees do better in shade than in sun, but many tolerate shade. When you are growing trees in shade, it is easiest to find trees that accept light shade. It is hardest to find good tree choices for heavy shade areas. If you search for a tree for a light-shade area, you have many to choose from, including evergreens, conifers, and deciduous broad leaf....

Growing Shallots Shallots prefer soil that drains well and has a high composition of organic matter. The best soil pH for shallots are 6.3 to 6.8. Keeping shallot beds free of weeds is essential to good development and helps with shallot picking once the time to harvest a shallot plant arrives. Shallots are grown from sets as well as transplants. Shallot plants benefit from a regular feeding of organic fertilizer. The root system of shallot plants is extremely shallow and the plants need consistent water in order to thrive....